


Blushing Pride

by acuteneurosis



Series: Caught in the Act [17]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: F/M, One-Sided Attraction, Roses, Secret Crush, Unknowing Rivals, Who doesn't love Tsuruga Ren?, envy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-14 19:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acuteneurosis/pseuds/acuteneurosis
Summary: Kyoko accidentally stumbles upon an slightly uncomfortable topic with Maria.





	Blushing Pride

The large room was mostly empty when Kyoko walked in, carrying a large vase of roses. She had been given a LoveMe assignment to deliver the flowers to a room Lory was having decorated for some sort of "I'm bored because there are no holidays" celebration.

"Nee-san!" came a cheerful greeting from the back of the room. Kyoko looked around the flowers in time to see a blur before Maria slammed into her, latching onto Kyoko's waist and nearly causing the older girl to lose her balance.

"Hello Maria," Kyoko greeted once she was steady again. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping," Maria answered, taking a skipping step back. "Grandfather said that you might be coming down, so I said I would start arranging the flowers."

"Oh." Kyoko wondered at this only for a moment before shaking her head. The president seemed to have a hard time refusing Maria. Giving her mundane tasks so that she could do what she wanted was very like him. "Then, am I supposed to leave these with you?"

"You can leave them on the table," Maria instructed with a graceful wave of her hand. Kyoko sighed in envy as the little girl spun around, her ruffled skirts swishing about her ankles. Maria was always dressed so cutely.

"Do you need any help?" Kyoko asked as she put the vase down, eyeing the large room skeptically.

"If you'd like to stay," was the inviting answer. Kyoko could not help but smile as she responded.

"Oh yes. I would love to."

"Then can you fetch the ribbon from over there?" Maria asked, pointing all the way across the room. "I'll need it when I separate the bunches."

Kyoko thought about telling Maria that she should not have grabbed the whole bouquet of roses from the vase, but shrugged. Maria had little method, but since if she messed up, Lory would just replace things, she held her peace. She had learned that arguing with Maria over some things was just silly.

"What color ribbon?" Kyoko asked in an almost shout as she looked into a box overflowing with dozens of colors of silk ribbon.

'White!" was the cheerful answer that was shouted back as Maria sat down, putting half of the flowers back as she was having a hard time holding them. The bunch in her hands was still a little large though.

Kyoko sorted through the colors, looking for a white that matched the particular shade of Maria's dress. After a bit of shuffling she managed to find it. She also pulled out two shades of red, one that matched the roses and one that matched the trim all over Maria's dress. Just in case. She sighed again longingly as she looked over at Maria's beautiful outfit. Kyoko was not too worldly, but she could appreciate the pleasure of living with a doting old man that had too much money and regularly indulged in expensive, elaborate clothing.

"I love your dress," Kyoko confessed as she came back over, placing the spools of ribbon down on the table.

"It's one of my favorites," Maria agreed, preening in her puffed sleeves and lacey headband. "The white ones are all special though."

"Really?" Kyoko asked, starting to measure out lengths of white ribbon since Maria's hands were still full. She reached across the table for a pair of scissors, watching Maria's face light up in delight.

"You see, I always wear a white one on lucky days. I check every day you know, using all sorts of methods. And on days with perfect luck, I wear white."

"Is it an especially lucky color?" Kyoko asked, not sure if she had ever heard such a thing.

"Well, of course," Maria said, smiling brightly. Then she blushed. "A bride has to wear white you know. And on a lucky day, I don't want to be caught unprepared. If everything were to be perfect and Ren-sama were to ask me…"

She trailed off in a blissful daydream, leaving Kyoko flabbergasted.

"I think… most people would think it inappropriate behavior?" she suggested quietly, the quick snips of ribbon hiding her desire to tremble in agitation. It was Maria's turn to sigh, which she then frowned over.

"I know. But I keep hoping that on a day with perfect luck, it would all be fine," she confessed with a note of sweet longing. "Then, Ren-sama and I could be together forever."

If Kyoko's breath caught in her throat, if she was picturing a very different young lady with Tsuruga Ren, forever, she did not betray it in any of her movements. She measured another length of ribbon, her actions clean and deliberate.

"I know people think I'm too young," Maria grumbled, waving the flowers up and down a bit. "But I really do love him. Someday, he's going to only be able to look at me. Maybe even today."

Kyoko asked for two of the roses, choosing not to answer this. Maria giggled and stated that the roses were making Kyoko's cheeks look pink.


End file.
